


Alderaan House

by rosewindow



Category: Downton Abbey, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Crossover, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 02:38:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7023763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosewindow/pseuds/rosewindow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Finn had grown up knowing that he was titled, but also knowing that it was never likely to matter; there were too many people between him and any holdings. He married Rey, his childhood best friend, sweetheart, and another member of the technical nobility, England and he went to war, and two years after Armistice a letter arrived announcing that he was the next Earl of Alderaan."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alderaan House

**Author's Note:**

  * For [boxoftheskyking](https://archiveofourown.org/users/boxoftheskyking/gifts).



> Jay said she wanted "Finn being Somebody Important and Poe being his utterly devoted servant/assistant/advisor/chauffeur/squire/fool/what have you." And I responded with "Newlywed and Newly-Titled Rey and Finn acquire the ancestral home that comes with a large staff including driver Poe. Rey learned how to drive during the War and insists on driving herself, but Finn finds that cars are the one thing he can’t do (being unable to charm them into submission like usually works for horses and politicians) and also that he enjoys spending time with Poe. Maybe more than he should…" And then a few months later there's this. Enjoy!

Finn had grown up knowing that he was titled, but also knowing that it was never likely to matter; there were too many people between him and any holdings. He married Rey, his childhood best friend, sweetheart, and another member of the technical nobility, England and he went to war, and two years after Armistice a letter arrived announcing that he was the next Earl of Alderaan.

That title came with a seat on a few committees, a club membership that Finn wasn't sure what he was going to do with, and a huge estate. The park that wrapped around the house was beautiful, and the house was stunning as it rose out of the misty green hills. Rey pulled the car up a little ways from the house and they just stared for a second.

“And it's all ours?” Rey asked.

Finn nodded, feeling a bit numb.

“And I thought the flat in London was posh. Well, better get to it.”

She pulled up in front and hopped out before the footman could even start moving. Finn followed more slowly; his back was stiff from the long drive.

“Welcome Lord and Lady Organa,” the butler said with a bow. “Welcome to Alderaan House. My name is Threepio. Please, right this way.”

“Which way to the garage?” Rey asked. “I'll just park the car.”

“Oh. The chauffeur can do that, my lady.”

“I can do it,” Rey said.

“She's very protective of her car,” Finn laughed. “Why don't you and I start the tour, Mr. Threepio?”

The butler looked flustered, but he covered it quickly. “Of course, my lord. Right this way.”

The inside of the house was even more spectacular. Finn had been picturing dark halls filled with nothing but dust, but the house was all wood and warm stone, with elegant furniture and a beautiful art collection. Finn loved it immediately, and while it certainly didn't feel like home yet, he had a feeling that it would.

\---

The next few days Finn was busy with meeting the staff, and unpacking their things, and getting lost at least twice a day. He barely managed to keep his composure when he met the Agent, Mr. Artoo, a stocky man who swore every other word - to the consternation of Mr. Threepio. And the butler nearly had a heart attack when Finn suggested that he and Rey eat with the staff 'to avoid bother.' All told it was almost a week before Finn found time to explore the village.

He'd intended to go down with Rey and maybe have a spot of luncheon at the local pub, but she was nowhere to be found, so in the end he went down to the garage alone. “Hello?” he called into the dimness.

There was no answer, until he was nearly bowled over by a small, round child.

“BB! Oh.” The man who appeared in pursuit had dark, tousled curls, and kind eyes, and Finn definitely hadn't seen him before because he would have remembered.

“I'm sorry, my lord.”

“It's no trouble,” Finn said, flushing at the honorific. “Are you the- driver?”

“Chauffeur and coachman Poe Dameron, my lord. At your service.”

“Please, just 'sir,' or even better would be just 'Finn.'”

“Of course, sir. Finn.”

Finn stood there, lost in Poe's eyes for far longer than was appropriate.

“Can I, help you with anything?”

“Oh! The village. I was hoping I could go down there. And maybe you could recommend a place to eat?”

“Nowhere in the village would be fancy enough for you, I'm sure.”

“I've been a soldier, Mr. Dameron. I'll eat anything.”

Poe smiled, genuine and dazzling. “Alright then. And if I'm to call you Finn, then you should call me Poe.”

“As you wish, Poe.”

\---

A week turned into a fortnight, turned into a month. Finn and Poe fell into an easy intimacy. They’d both been soldiers, but Finn felt it went deeper than that; as if he’d known the man his whole life. When they first met, Rey and Poe argued about car maintenance for an hour, but afterwards Rey pronounced, ‘I like him,’ and that was that.

Poe was also the chauffeur for the Dowager Countess, and he took them down to have tea with her their second week in the house. Finn had been extremely nervous about the meeting since he only had his title because her husband and son had perished, but he needn’t have worried. Lady Leia Organa was a formidable but caring woman. She lived in the elegantly appointed gate house and treated Poe like a son, and BB, his ward, like a grandchild.

The five of them took a tour of the grounds in the afternoon, and Finn was shocked to realize that he was starting to think of this place as home. As they walked back to the house, the setting sun gilding the rolling hills and follies, Leia said, “So, when’s the housewarming party?”

\---

Mr. Threepio was overjoyed at the news of a party. He put a plan together so quickly, that Finn suspected he’d been working on it since they’d showed up. Finn and Rey hadn’t even had a party when they got married.

“My coming out was enough of a to do,” Rey had said.

It was as small a group as they could make it, but they still had to hire extra help from the village to air out unused bedrooms and polish everything. The whole house was busy, and Finn had to admit he liked the hustle and bustle. Finn especially liked all the trips with Poe into the village and the nearby town to pick up things they needed.

And when guests started arriving the house came even more alive. There was always music floating through the front hall from the radio and laughter from people playing cards in the parlor.

On Saturday afternoon, Poe and Mr. Artoo took everyone out to a patch of woods to shoot. Finn’s former commanding officer, the now General Hux, and his wife brought their dogs, and they were a magnificent sight to see even though the party didn’t bag much.

Sunlight slanted low through the trees as they made their way back, rehashing the wins and misses of the day. Poe and Finn fell into step at the rear of the group, each carrying a bag of pheasants.

“They would make a nice stew I suppose,” Finn was saying, “and it could be stretched with chicken to make sure everyone in the house gets some. Has BB ever had pheasant?”

Poe didn’t respond immediately, and Finn stopped when he realized he’d pulled ahead of the other man.

“Poe?”

Poe was staring at him with a look of pure adoration. Finn felt his cheeks warming. Poe looked past him for a moment, but the rest of the party had turned a corner on the path and were out of sight. His face determined, Poe stepped forward and brushed his lips against Finn’s.

Finn was stunned, but not unpleasantly so. He felt the way he had when he’d first kissed Rey; the same tingling in his lips, the same desire to keep going. But Poe pulled away.

“I apologize. That was extremely inappropriate.”

Then he hurried off to catch up with the others.

\---

Just a few hours ago, Finn had been excited about the house full of people but now the thought of wearing a tux and a smile was unbearable.

Rey looked up from affixing a headpiece over her staggered buns. “What’s the matter?”

Finn stopped frowning at his cufflinks and frowned at her instead. “Poe kissed me.”

“Well.” She made the final adjustments to her jewelry and rose from her vanity. “I’d wondered when that would happen.”

He sat down heavily on the bed. “I didn’t.”

“You two have been dancing around it for ages. It’s about time.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Do you still love me?”

Finn thought about it. “Yes.”

“But you love Poe too?”

Finn thought about it even longer. “Yes.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know what to  _ do _ .”

“My beautiful husband,” Rey said, taking his hand. “You’ll know what to do. Now come on. I need to show off this outfit.”

She looked gorgeous as always, in a gold and silver ensemble with a beaded bodice and flowing harem pants.

“You’re going to offend someone in that,” Finn said, offering his arm as they made their way down the stairs.

“That’s the idea,” she winked back.

\---

Dinner was scrumptious; the pheasant soup was a great success. They forwent dividing into separate rooms after the meal, and instead moved into the front hall where the gramophone had been set up. Finn danced one round with Rey, and then slipped downstairs. The servants all rose from their dinner when he entered, but he waved them back down. Poe was carefully looking at the floor.

“How’s the pheasant?” he asked. “BB, do you like it?”

He got a vigorous nod in response, and everyone chuckled.

“The little one’s had twice as much as the rest of us,” Snap boomed, clapping BB on the shoulder. The child almost fell forward into their bowl.

“Well it was delicious, everyone said so. Thank you, Snap.”

The cook beamed.

“Enjoy the rest of your meal, and please join us for dancing afterwards.”

Finn met Poe’s eyes briefly, and then jerked his gaze away, not wanting to say something he might regret in front of the rest of the servants. “Alright. Well, thank you.”

He hurried back upstairs, but he could feel Poe’s eyes on him until he left.

\---

On Sunday afternoon, Rey had arranged a drive around the castle and surrounding environs. It was partly to show off the estate, and mostly to show off Rey’s car. Rey neatly maneuvered Finn into Poe’s car with a breezy, “Oh, you drive with me all the time. Let one of our guests get a chance.”

Finn climbed into the front seat with a shy smile at Poe. He was both relieved and disappointed when the other passengers got in the back. And then they were off, trailing behind Rey as she sped around the grounds. They startled a group of sheep, and barely disturbed a herd of cows on farms at the base of the property, and then looped around the fields and forests until they were back to the sculpted grounds around the house.

They stopped for tea at the Jedi Temple, the largest folly on the property, a pyramidal structure topped by five columns. Rey was holding court at its base - basking in the veneration of her driving skills - and when Finn caught her eye, she gave him a pointed look towards Poe.

Finn stepped closer to him, searching for something to say, some sign to give Poe that he wanted to see how their relationship could progress.

“She’s something else,” Poe said, admiringly. “You’re a lucky man.”

“I really am,” Finn replied softly. He turned to smile at Poe.

“I should help the other servants carry the baskets,” Poe said, walking away before Finn could respond.

\---

“What have you done?”

Finn looked up from the plans Mr. Artoo had brought over, shocked. “Pardon?”

Rey swept across the room and dropped a letter in front of him. “Poe is leaving.”

Finn gaped. “What?”

“So what have you done? Either you made a move and botched it, or you didn’t even try and he’s given up. And I can’t decide which is worse.”

“No- I-” Finn couldn’t find words.

Just then, Mr. Threepio entered. “A letter for you, My Lord.”

It was from Poe. Finn read it in stunned silence, and then passed it to Rey. Poe  _ was _ leaving because of him.

The letter had clearly been written in a great hurry. ‘Finn,’ Poe had started, and then changed his mind with a desperate stroke of his pen. ‘My Lord,’ was written next, and this had been marked out with several urgent strokes. ‘Lord Organa,’ he had finally settled on, and the title felt heavier than it ever had before.

> Lord Organa,
> 
> It is with deepest shame and regret that I must resign my post at Alderaan House. My actions have been indecorous and unbefitting of a servant, a soldier, indeed, of a man. I have brought shame upon myself and thus upon you and your house. This was not my intent, but there is no excuse.
> 
> My Lord, even were I to spend the remainder of my days in servitude to you, I would never be able to wipe clean the stain of my forward and inappropriate actions. To have kissed you without your consent or your leave is deplorable, and I hope that this exile will allow me to begin to atone. By this I will also keep any whiff of scandal from your name, for I could not bear it if you were to suffer for my faults. You are the best man I have ever met and I will never forget you.

The next line was almost entirely obscured, only the letters ‘I l’ and ‘ou’ visible. It was signed simply ‘Poe,’ three letters that wrenched at Finn’s heart even more than the seven above them.

Rey was watching him as he finished reading for the second time. “I’m driving you to the station,” she said simply.

\---

When they got to the tracks, the train to Wales had just left with half of Finn’s heart on board. He almost burst into tears on the platform, but Rey was already dashing back towards the car.

“Come on! It stops in the next town for half an hour for luncheon. We can catch it up!”

She drove as quickly as she could through the village, opening it up as they hit the fields that formed the bottom of their estate. It was a wild, mad ride, and Finn had to cling to his seat so as not to be thrown free, but he’d never been more in love with the wonderful woman at his side.

The spire of the next village appeared, and so did the train. It wasn’t far ahead of them and the gap was closing as it slowed down through the village.

“What will I say?” Finn asked, suddenly nervous.

“I daresay you shall think of something,” Rey said with a warm smile. “You always know what to say to me.”

The station was crowded with people and food vendors and Finn groaned, but Rey pushed him forward. He spotted BB first, weaving through the crowd. Finn followed, until there Poe was, looking so handsome and wonderful that Finn almost froze again. Instead, he gathered his courage and stepped forward.

When Poe caught sight of him, he jerked in surprise, but then they were moving towards each other, closer and closer, until they were practically in each other's’ arms.

Poe started to speak, but Finn cut him off. “You could never shame me. I-” There were so many things he wanted to say, but none of them were appropriate on this crowded platform. “You could never shame me. The house will be empty without you. Please come back to us. Back to me.”

He tried to pour all the feelings that he couldn’t voice into his words. Finn could feel eyes on them. They were standing too close, he was talking too loudly, perhaps he’d been recognized, but the only thing that mattered to him was Poe’s answer.

“You truly mean it?” Poe asked, hope in his eyes but not in his voice.

Finn hesitated. The words he truly wanted to say, he couldn’t on a train platform, but he could still speak the truth. “With all my heart.”

The smile that spread across Poe’s face was glorious. He turned to BB. “Find the Porter. Tell him we’re getting off the train. We’re going home.”

\---

The front hall glistened with glass icicles and snowflakes, and the mantles dripped with holly.

“Is it too much?” Finn asked, a slight frown on his face.

“Stop worrying,” Rey said from the chair that she and her pregnant belly had laid claim too.

“It’s perfect,” Poe added, pecking him lightly on the cheek.

The sounds of caroling were growing louder, and through the windows Finn could see the lanterns coming up the drive from the village. The procession was led by Mr. Threepio and Mr. Artoo, and everyone from nearby had come to celebrate with their new Lord and Lady. The carolers were at the door and as the hymn trailed off, there came a knocking at the doors. Finn pulled them open and everyone swept in with a rush of cold air and song.

Poe caught his eye across the room and grinned. Finn smiled back, letting the joy of the moment sweep over him.


End file.
